I am asked the following question a lot – that usually means I should answer it.

Question: I am building a trestle table based on the one you built. I have a dumb question. I was lucky enough to find 5/4-thick, 18″-wide walnut for $4/bf. I can most likely get a two-board top, but both boards are too wide for my planer. When gluing up the 32″-wide top, should I flatten the face of the boards then glue? Or should I first glue and then flatten?

Answer: There are many ways to do it. Here’s what I do.

1. I scrub/fore plane both faces of the boards so I can see the grain and select the best faces.

2. I select what will be the show face of the boards and decide on their arrangement. I try to get all the grain running in the same direction, but…